(Not Very) Secret Garden

At least Obie joined in the laughter, though Lakshmi was too amused at the moment to truly appreciate such a nice response. He was nervous but maybe he'd be more apt to relax if he was able to laugh... "I can do many things, but I prefer most of all healing. It is calming and a much better use of my power and resources, so... I suppose I am saying please stop worrying? Once again, I would like us to have a less...fear and formality ridden relationship."

Smiling just a bit more, Lakshmi laughed softly as the man compared himself favorably to a potato. Had he really thought that up on the spot? Obie had a quick mind and she waved him to continue on. "Now that was an inventive use of a vegetable for a joke. If that is why you are a potato, why am I an orange tree?"

"O-Oh! Yes, it is just down this way." Realizing that it had been odd to just stand there in the hallway talking, the Captain turned rather lightly red as she turned and began walking once more. She stopped at a cross section in the hallways, one path leading to the left and one to the right as well as continuing straight. People were walking along in hurries, busy with work and paid them no mind. "Over here, this hallway right here, the first door on the right is one for males. The break room is actually over here, I will wait in it?"

If he wished her to stand outside or such so he would not get lost it wold be fine as well. Lakshmi tried to give off a soothing and accepting air and wasn't entirely sure she could manage enough to help this nervous man. The place was a large maze of interconnected buildings and paths and it was rather easy to lose oneself in it, she did not judge him in the least for this.

"R-Right, don't worry, right... Just um, have to remember to relax and don't worry and relax ahahaha..." YEAH THAT'S PRETTY TOUGH BECAUSE I'M MESSING UP EVERYTHING I DOOOOOO Of course it made sense that Captain Lakshmi's powers would revolve around healing. That was the logical thing to assume. But it never hurts to be ready just in case that means super scalpels flying RIGHT AT YOUR FACE or something like it. "B-But shouldn't there be just a um, l-little bit of formality when talking to one's Captain? I mean um, if you want I-I could probably try to be less... formal? But not um, for a while and stuff." Unless this was some sort of elaborate trap! But Captain Lakshmi Ma'am wouldn't do that... right?

"I uh, j-just went with an orange tree because they're um, b-big, and bright. And people usually um, like oranges a-and stuff... But you can be any tree that you want to, Ma'am! I don't want to tie you down to any particular k-kind of fruit or anything. I guess you could say that I-I'm uh, 'rooted' to the potato joke, h-huh?" Obie tried to smile under all the fear, of which there was a lot. Yes, diffuse the situation with veggie humor! Captain Lakshmi Ma'am seemed to like it so this is obviously the best way to relax and everything!

He sighed, relieved when Lakshmi pointed out where the washrooms were, now seeming just that bit more relieved for knowing where at least one room was in this huge place. "Thank you, Captain! I-I'll just um, get washed up and I'll be right back. Y-You can go inside the room if you want, I um, think I can find my way there, yeah..." With one final nervous nod, Obie ran into the male washroom and got his hands cleaned as well as he could. The dirt on his nose was completely untouched though, but really how could that hurt anything? Also it was kind of comforting.

Lakshmi just smiled softly and nodded, Obie would eventually learn to relax a bit more. If she had to have him drop all formality to help him...that would be fine. It wasn't as if anyone would take too much offense and this was kind of a special case, as she was starting to realize. She brought a finger to her lip and looked up, making a small sound of consideration. "Mm, I suppose there should... At times it is important to show such. But as a third seat you must work closely with me, almost as much as my lieutenant. A working relationship built on mutual respect and trust is much better than a formality ridden one. I need to have people who can help me, not just kowtow on command otherwise nothing would ever get done."

"We are a place of healing, that comes first, unlike the more military ridden divisions. The command structure may be just as strict on paper, but we do need more flexibility at times." Lakshmi attempted to explain before Obie ran off, smiling at the description he had given of why she was an orange tree. "It is not a bad joke to be stuck on... I wish I was a bit more witty so I could joke right back to be honest. I like oranges, I will stay an orange tree unless you can figure out another plant."

Giving an accepting nod as Obie ran off, she decided to take his words at face value and hope he wouldn't get lost. Opening the door and peaking inside, there was no one in this lesser used one. There were more than a few dotting the division, the stress of this squad needing resting places and it seemed to improve work performance as well if at times someone could come into them and rest.

A cot was in the back, with a moveable screen for quick naps, a small table with chairs and also a couch near an almost kitchenette. There was a counter with a water heating device, also known as a coffee pot, though it wouldn't make the best of teas potentially... The cupboards above and below the counter might have one of those portable ones she had seen before, a small almost stove like thing you could place a kettle on to use.

The captain, despite her small height, began looking through them for such an object. There was a sink in this room as well, so it wasn't as if they had to worry about water either. Though tea itself... That might be a problem.

"Okay umm... It was uh, this door? I-I think? Um, ohhh I hope so..." The washroom had been nice, definitely not as scary as he thought it would have been. Although that was mostly because he was the only one in there at the time. It certainly helped! But it also gave Obie to think a bit on what Lakshmi had said before he ran away.

Oh dear, I have to answer to her more directly? I... I didn't know all of this before I was signed on for the Third Seat. Oh dear oh dear ohdearohdear... B-But Captain Lakshmi Ma'am said that it was okay to be nice? And friendly? Maybe... Just maybe I don't have to be afraid? Obie opened the door to the break room and stepped inside. Oh dear I hope so... Being afraid of your job all the time is... exhausting.

"Captain L-Lakshmi? I'm um, I'm back... I'm sorry to keep you waiting." The room itself looked nice though! A cot, a room for naps and some chairs, it was almost relaxing. Much too bright though. Very much too bright. Putting some blinds up on all of the windows and add a lot more candles. After scouting the room for any more possible sneak attackers or truly spooky things, Obie finally found his Captain inspecting the various cupboards around the small kitchen area.

"U-Umm, Captain? If you could just show me where the um, stuff is I can make us some tea, i-if you still want it, that is. I m-mean if you don't want any anymore I understand too...

Well there was sugar and honey... The Captain set those containers on the counter, looking through more of the lower cupboards and finding nothing else for tea though. Mostly it was filled with excess items for use in the room, her office might have been better since she was positive someone had given her a tea set. Maybe tea was in there as well?

But the upper cupboard must have the cups and coffee and tea then! Opening one cupboard, she immediately found ceramic tea cups and mugs in varying sizes as well as a tea pot for soaking the leaves. That was a bit of luck and she pulled out two cups, mismatching but usable, and the pot. But where was a kettle and the tea itself...

Before her searching could continue, the door opened and the third seat returned. She turned quickly, hand to her mouth and a bit startled due to her own distraction with the search. "O-Oh! No it is fine. I was not waiting, it allowed me time to search for the items needed in this blasted room."

"I do not honestly know where it is? But I do wish some." Lakshmi admitted, taking a nervous tic from her lover and scratching her cheek. Her eyes were glancing at the cupboards, hoping they would reveal their secret stashes of things such as tea. At least she had found some cups and sweeteners. "I think the tea and the kettle are around here somewhere, the upper cupboards I mean. Could you help me search?"

Oh dear, did Obie scare Lakshmi with his sudden entrance? He certainly thought so; which lead to him rapidly bowing his head while profusely apologizing to her as he stood in the break room doorway. “S-S-Sorry Captain Laksmhi! I d-didn’t mean to startle you, honestly!” He stood there with his head bowed for several seconds before realizing that she had asked for his help in finding tea materials. “Oh! I um, r-right… I’ll definitely help, Captain Lakshmi Ma’am! Um, I uh mean ‘Captain’. Right…”

He nervously approached the set of cabinets where she waited, eyeing the honey, sweeteners and mugs sitting on the counter, just waiting to be used. Oh. Well, it… looks like they’re pretty well equipped for tea-making. Honey is nice, but only for certain blends. Does Captain Lakshmi want honey in her tea? I hope they have it then, oh dear… “Just um, to be honest, I’ve never been in here either, s-so I probably don’t know where this stuff is…” The fact that he was taller than his Captain was still registering in Obie’s brain, his own “orange tree against potato” metaphor still fresh in his mind.

"But I can still um, check for stuff. So I'll just... Look around." From where he stood, Obie could begin checking the upper cabinets for the assorted necessary ingredients to begin the (hopefully) calming tea time. But as he opened cupboard after cupboard, Obie's ears began to droop down in disappointment. Ohh... I can't... Find any in here. Maybe they're not really big tea drinkers? Oh no, what if my asking for more tea is asking for too much a-and they start to think that I'm needy and and AND..."

Obie shook his head rapidly, trying to literally shake the thoughts out of his head. [i]Nonono, Captain said that these things were alright! A-And Captain Lakshmi Ma'am wouldn't lie to me. Right? "U-Um, Captain? I don't think there's any actually in... here. Do you think maybe I should-" Whatever Obie was about to say, was interrupted as he spotted something in the veeeeery back of the last cupboard. Tea! "N-Never mind, I found one!" He pulled the small box out and cleared his throat slightly, looking down at the floor bashfully. "I-I mean, I found some, Captain..."

Lakshmi waved off the fervent bowing with her hand, trying not to sigh and thus set the man off into more minor panic attacks. "It happens, being startled is nothing to get all upset over as far as I am concerned. You will help? Thank you..."

There was real relief in her voice as she backed from the counter, looking up at the cupboards as if they held dark secrets the woman could only guess at. They really did, she wasn't much good at these sorts of things and when she tried to make food and such it... well turned out more scientific than expected. Her weekly three hour work spent on carefully portioning the coffee into separate bags for faster mornings had really helped improve things in her life. "I honestly do not know either, normally someone else makes my drinks since they um, well get annoyed at how slow I am in that way."

Peering around Obie as he searched, Lakshmi wondered why there were so little tea options here. Shouldn't there be all sorts? Maybe since she'd taken over and preferred coffee and its high caffeine content, everyone else had followed suit? A few hundred years of such drinking would seep through to everyone else potentially. However her curious thoughts were interrupted by the lack of well anything yet.

The Captain looked down, her bright eyes dimming as she became rather crestfallen, worried their tea time would be an utter failure due to her lack of preparation in all break rooms for such tea drinking. However that disappeared as she heard Obie find the box, her smile returning as she clapped politely and peeked over with curious eyes. "Oh my! Good job Obie. Can you make it now? Should I watch?"

“Umm, i-it’s okay to be a bit slow when making drinks sometime… I mean, t-tea ceremonies can take quite a while to do too, so… Yeah.” Obie mumbled in agreement. On one hand, he had his precious tea. On the other hand, apparently people got mad at the Captain? And they were alive? Nonono! Captain Lakshmi Ma’am said that she was nice, m-maybe it’s just a friendly conflict of drink preparing interests? Yeah… it’s got to be that. But whyyyyy would they get mad?!

Bringing the box down from the shelf, Obie inspected it and found that was it actually a few bags of orange pekoe tea! Not his go-to for casual tea drinking, but still nice enough to pass the time. Obie secretly had a stash of chamomile tea hidden under the leftmost pile of pillows in his own quarters for himself (30th pillow on the left starting on the third quadrant, to be exact). There was never a situation that had come up where he needed to share with anyone, after all. Setting the small box down on the counter, Obie began eyeing the various pots strewn about the room, searching for just the right one for the job.

Well, he was, until Lakshmi asked if she should watch him as he made the tea. Obie’s eyes grew wide and he shook his head quickly, holding the box of tea close to his chest. “N-Nono, that won’t be um, necessary! You can just… sit at a table and I’ll have our tea ready in just a few minutes. I um, find it hard to concentrate with someone w-watching me do stuff, s-sorry…” He nodded apologetically and slowly made his way over to the sink, being sure to not accidentally drape Lakshmi’s garment over anything that would get it dirty. Okay Obie, you got this! It’s just tea, right? Just make tea, focus on the tea, tea for the Captain. Captain Tea…

"That does sound like it would be fun to learn. I could perhaps bother you sometime to teach me? Off hours possibly." Would Kaimu mind? It would be nice bonding and maybe if the man felt that Lakshmi was not so scary or imperious it would help. Besides, after all these centuries and never once learning the tea ceremony? Lakshmi felt more than bit ashamed.

Watching around his body, the box of tea was just some kind of tea but she assumed he knew what to make of it. As long as it was sugared enough and potentially milky the Captain was fine with most hot beverages. He seemed to be looking for something though, the pots were getting much focus on them...

Her eyes went to the poor box of tea that Obie clung to, a rather surprised look on her face for a moment before she sheepishly grinned. "As you wish. I will sit and patiently await my third seat's tea."

If such things made him nervous, Lakshmi would definitely sit and wait... though she felt rather useless as she settled herself in a chair. Nothing to be done for it, she laid her head on her arms on the table as she waited.

“T-Teach you? Ohhh, I don’t know about that… I-I’d make a terrible teacher and everything…” Obie replied, shuffling his feet in place as he gripped the box of tea. “I’ve never really taught anyone, well anything. Um, at all.” Oh god how would I even begin to teach Captain Lakshmi Ma’am I’m just a third seat how can I teach anyone oh god and I have subordinates now oh god oh geez what have I dooone “But I could… t-try? Maybe?” Obie had never even done a tea ceremony with other people in years. Oh no if he taught Lakshmi he would have to wear his Tea Ceremony Hat, and that might be suuuuuper embarrassing.

When he saw Lakshmi agree to give him his space and retreat back over to the tables, Obie let out a soft sigh and turned back to the counter, placing the box of tea on the surface and pulling out a small tea pot from one of the cabinets. At least it’s just a s-simple cup of tea this time. This shouldn’t be too hard. I just have to… to relax. Yeah. I can do this, no problem! But even at his own self assurance, Obie movements and overall mannerisms during the process were slow, careful, and incredibly deliberate as he walked himself through the steps of brewing tea properly.

While the break room didn’t have the exact tools that Obie himself kept safely hidden in the second quadrant of pillows in his own quarters, they were fine enough to make an acceptable cup of tea for the two of them! (At least Obie hoped so) Putting the coffee pot, two cups and two small containers of creamer and sugar on a tray, Obie brought everything over to Lakshmi, serving her first before pouring his own cup. “D-Do you want any sugar or anything for your tea, Captain? I um, brought some cream too, j-just in case. I know um, that people have different tastes when it comes to stuff like this, yeah…”
To Obie’s credit, the tray wasn’t exactly shaking as he held it. It more or less stayed level as he presented the drink to his Captain, only the slightest of ripples breaking the surface of the tea as it sat on its saucer. But it was really only due to the constant, screaming reassurance he was giving himself in his mind.

OH GOD OH GOD DON’T DROP IT DON’T DROP IT ooh god oh geez KEEP IT STEADY you got this Obie AAAAA DON’T DROP IT

"If you really think you would, I am a fast learner I can assure you. However if it is too much or too hard I definitely would not feel angry if you denied me such." Lakshmi hoped her words were reassuring, as she was attempting to just radiate the most soothing of feelings from her for the startled bunny man.

He reminded her of a rabbit of course, but she was far too polite to ever bring such a subject up.

Instead she focused on watching him when he wasn't glancing over, wanting to see how the man went about making his tea like this. Apparently there were all sorts of ways and she was glad others tended to make it for her... There was too much fuss when she made things.

He was meticulous though not as much as she was so it was done long before the Captain would have been able to successfully make even such a simple thing. As he served her first she accepted such actions with a nod of her head in thanks, the captain smiling for him. "Ah yes please. This is... black tea? So I like it rather sweet and milky."

On long days the extra boost of fats and sugars with the caffeine was a blessing and thus she had long grown used to certain ways of preferring tea. "I can prepare that part myself? I do not know if that is proper or not but I thank you for this. It smells delicious Obie, really thank you. This has been a relaxing break for me, I am rather happy with that."

The Captain noticed the slight ripples but ignored them in favor of another warm smile as she reached for the sugar and creamer. He should understand she was enjoying this but if not the woman was sure vocal reassurance might help.

Obie nodded slowly as Lakshmi took her tea cup, cream and sugar from the tray, still holding the tray with the utmost care until he slowly made his way to his own seat and placed the tray on the table, letting out a long sigh of relief as he sat down. “O-Okay… I’ll um, remember that in the future, i-in case you want me to make more tea or something.”

Adding in other things to tea was… odd to Obie. Not bad odd just… weeeeeird. Tea was perfect just the way that it was, why add things to it to change it? But if that’s what Captain Lakshmi Ma’am liked hers with then that was what Obie would make. Lest he be exploded and cast into the wind like so many Obie-shaped flower petals. But there was still one more tea-related incident to address before he could fully enjoy his brewed beverage. “I-I-I suppose I could… t-try to teach a few things? I mean, I um… Uh… W-Would have to prepare. A lot. Just to get my thoughts together a-and everything. But p-please don’t be angry if I’m a terrible teacher or anything, o-okay?”

Obie tried to sneak glances over at Lakshmi as he talked, trying to build up his courage again to look his superior in the eye as he held his tea cup in both hands, enjoying the heat that the tea cup radiated onto his palms as he waited for it to cool for a bit. “I’m… glad. That you h-had a good time that is, Captain Lakshmi. I um, will try to get used to talking to you a-and everything, just… It might take a while? But I do want to thank you for removing the noise makers and p-putting up the board for the orders. It um, should help me, a-a lot…”

Obie’s face slowly tried to stretch into a grin as he fidgeted with Lakshmi’s Haori that he still had draped across him. “O-Oh right! You probably… will need to have this back too. I um, apologize for the dirt and everything, it’s a um… kinda an occupational hazard at times. But thank you for letting me wear it!”

"You really do not have to. Remember that is, it is not vital and there's enough work for you other than remembering small personal tastes of mine." Lakshmi's soft smile turned into an amused one and she shook her head just a bit more.

"I would rather not put such a workload on you, if it would take that much preparation. I would not get angry either, I promise, despite how you teach me. It would be bad though to stress you out overly much though, so if you'd prefer to wait until we are better acquainted to try such a session I would be willing to wait." She finished preparing her tea, taking a sip and wincing as she forgot it was still rather hot. Lakshmi was used to her tea cold, mostly on accident due to getting busy and leaving it there before coming back later... It was rather nice to drink hot tea for once at least and she smiled down into it, expressing her happiness quite obviously.

Lakshmi blew on her tea softly after a bit before her icy eyes glanced up and locked on her third seat for a few moments. "I will make sure they are gone by the end of the day and the end of the week for the board. If it takes a while for you to get used to me, that is all right as well. However you should at least try to tell me more things that will make it easier on you? If you think of them of course."

"I am not a mind reader so that makes it difficult to figure out someone's needs if they do not inform me." She allowed herself some room to tease, taking a sip of the tea as her eyes went to her haori. "Welcome Obie, you can return it after tea? And please it has seen much worse than simple dirt you know. My occupational hazards are a bit...messier."

She didn't wish to scare him with talks of blood and other things so she merely hinted. He may be in fourth but it seemed as if he was suited for the other aspects of the division that were a bit rarer to find. Hence why she wished him to be happy and comfortable.

"Oh, we can... wait? I would, uh... I would like waiting. N-Not that I don't like you or anything, Captain. But... I would like to get used to um, talking to you. If that's okay..." Oh good, I thought she was gonna make me do it immediately... Phew. I just... don't know how long it's gonna take me to get comfortable, though. Oh dear...

Obie was relieved to see that Lakshmi was indeed enjoying her tea, which let him relax a little bit. Also that fact that she insisted that she wasn't a mind reader. Actually that was a lot more comforting. But honestly, after getting rid of the noise makers and putting up that whiteboard in the garden, Obie really couldn't think of anything else. Yet.

"I um, can't really think of something else that I'd need though, Captain Lakshmi. E-Everything else should be... good. Unless you somehow turn the sun down and stop things from making lots of noise, ahaha..." Obie started to absentmindedly clean his glasses that hung on the silver chain around his neck. Luckily he was so used to making tea that he didn't even need them on to make a decent cup. Unless he tried long-distance tea making, if something like that even exists...

"O-Okay, if you're sure... I just, um, am not really used to wearing other people's clothes. S-So that makes me worry a little bit and everything. B-But I'll be sure that nothing will happen to it!" He nodded, an almost determined look in his eyes.

"I did offer it, so I would assume it is acceptable to me. Oh no, what if, in my old age I am losing my own mind though? It might not be acceptable to me at all and I do not know it!" Maybe it was cruel, but Lakshmi did have a teasing streak. Her elegant fingers lifted to her mouth as she opened it in a soft i of surprise and pretend horror at such thoughts.

It was broken merely because she needed to drink the tea, otherwise she might have held her shocked position longer. Taking another sip, she smiled and shook her head. "I do have lots of abilities, but turning the sun down is not one of them. Besides, would that not hurt your beloved plants? I am sure they need it just how it is, at least you can cover yourself up. About the noise thing... I can put up signs as well to notify others coming in the gardens to stay quieter and not make rackets."

He was cleaning his glasses and she watched him with interest, wondering if he needed a stronger pair or not. Or a spare set, it would be their divisions duty to get him such... But how to broach the subject...

Her eyes darted up from the glasses cleaning to the man's red ones and her smile grew again. "If you take it off now you might get dirt in your own tea, but if you feel the need and it helps you, go right ahead. Also, it is just a haori Obie. If something happens to it, it's replaceable. Your peace of mind is of infinitely more importance to me than a silly bit of cloth."

Obie determination made Lakshmi's smile warm up even more and she sipped more of the tea. He was rather sweet, she wanted to hug him!

Obie was just about to freak out about Lakshmi's little jest when the rational part of his brain kicked into overdrive and reassured him that his Captain was in fact making a little joke. "O-Oh! Ahahaha... R-Right..." Just a joke Obie, just a jooooooke! We can make jokes too, right? Remember the veggie puns? Those were great!

"Oh yeah, r-right! My vegetables r-really need the sun and everything, that's for sure! I mean, it was kinda j-just a joke and everything. The sun's only kinda sorta bothersome t-to me, and I usually just wear my robes and sunhat all the time so, yeah..." STUPID STUPID STUPID OF COURSE SHE CAN'T TURN THE SUN OFF STUPID. HOW WOULD THE PLANTS GROW EV-Oh wait, signs?

"O-Oh! That um, would also be r-really nice too! I mean, as long as it doesn't intrude on anyone else, t-that is. I um, would hate to think that I'm bothering someone else by telling them to be quiet and stuff." But maybe... Just maybe, they would understand? They do sorta kinda work at a hospital, and those are usually quiet! Maybe?

Taking a few more sips of his tea, Obie took another check on the haori to make sure that indeed it was still not suddenly caked in dirt of set aflame or any other sorts of terrible things that could happen to it while he had it on him. Lakshmi's comforting words did help, to an extent, but he still treated the garment as if he was wearing precious crystal. "O-Oh! I almost forgot to ask but... Do I need to... wear anything special being the Third Seat? I kinda just... put on my regular robes for stuff, I forgot to ask earlier... Sorry."

"D-Did you...did you really think I was going to?" Lakshmi felt a soft snicker rising up, the momentary panic on Obie's part causing no end to her amusement now that she had seen it. Oh no...her teasing was activated and there would be no escape for the bunny now. "I am sure it would be the greatest of all bothers to place quieting signs. I am quite positive it would bother everyone to have to be quiet in a hospital setting. Oh yes, especially in the rather out of the way, and firmly outside of most members jurisdiction, gardens. Oh yes, no one would ever understand the need for silence in a place meant to be relaxing and healthful."

"I was also joking." Her normally piercing ice blue eyes stared over the tea cup, their frigid color much warmer than it should be as she smiled and took a sip. Mirth, she was positively filled with mirth right now.

Even the way Obie treated her Haori was quite amusing in and of itself, it was just a captain's garment, nothing too special. She however set the tea glass down before steepling her fingers and thinking over the question Obie had asked with due seriousness. "Well there really isn't too much else you could wear. However feel free to alter your robes to suit your work better. You are a gardener, not a fighter. It makes no sense to force you to wear garments meant for fighting and I bet they get in the way. Most here just fit them or order then special as they see fit due to our specialized work."

She ignored the apology for now as there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

“O-Oh yeah… I mean… Jokes. Ahahaha.” Obie laughed nervously as he stared down into his tea cup, twiddling his thumbs. Right, Captain Lakshmi Ma’am was only joking, people joke right? People like to tell jokes all the time!

OBIE = STUPID
OBIE = STUPID
OBIE = STUPID AAAAAAAA

But at least the understanding of quietness around the 4th was still there. Obie had to mentally slap himself for forgetting that simple, obvious fact. But… at least Captain Lakshmi Ma’am seemed to be okay with everything? That was sort of reassuring, other than the fact that he made himself look like the biggest dumb dummy person ever. But her other comment about what to wear made him feel a little more at ease.

“R-Right! I don’t… really like combat. At all. I’d uh, r-rather avoid it as much as I can, honestly. I guess my normal robes should still work for garden stuff; e-even if the sleeves kinda get a little dirty from time to time. But that’s just something that comes with working in a garden, r-right? As long as they cover me arms from the sun I should be just right with um, everything. And gloves! I… might need some new gloves every once in a while…” He of course didn’t have them on during tea time, but Obie had several pairs of gloves that he worked through over the years. But they were all very nice gloves though! They did their best.

Was there a sugar cube or candy around here she could toss at her third seat's forehead? No? Nothing? How tragic. Lakshmi sighed softly, wishing she could just make the man loosen up but knowing that was her impatience speaking. "It will be done soon, do not worry. I promise... Of course you have to promise to try and loosen up with me a bit. Please? It would make both our jobs easier. I will promise not to bite. I do. I only bite Kai."

Oh that joke was in bad taste but she chuckled softly.

"If the sleeves are a hindrance you should request others. Look at mine." Lakshmi held up her own for inspection, the sleeves shorter and more tightly clinging to her arms. "If you need gloves, requisition some as well. It IS part of your job, your own personal money should not be spent on such trivial things. That is what being part of this squad means."

She rather liked him, he was earnest, honest and forthwright. He also seemed hardworking at his job and Lakshmi smiled oh so sweetly at her third seat while sipping his rather good tea. "Also this is delicious. How did you get it to taste so good?"

“Loosen up, right… I um, am trying. Sorry. I-I mean I’m not sorry? I mean...” Obie sighed softly and took a steadying breath before looking back up from his tea cup. “I’ll try, Captain Lakshmi. Tea time has… kinda helped a little bit with the jokes and stuff, so I um, hope that I can be loose or whatever you want of me.”

Oh god biting what. Why would she bite Kai what did he do? OH GOD IF SHE BITES HER ASSISTANT WHAT WOULD SHE DO TO ME-Nononono calm down Obie. Maybe… Maybe that was another joke! Yeah! Jokes!

“Oh! But your robes look… like something I could probably use, y-yeah. But um, probably with my own set. P-People would probably think I’m weird if I went around walking in your robes, huh?” He said with a hint of a smile. Try jokes to make less scary! “But… Are you sure that I can just… take gloves when I need them? I mean, um, I’d feel a little better if I at least gave them something for it, i-if it’s not too much trouble…” Just taking things was… weird for Obie. Sure he got gifts and stuff occasionally, but those were special days! Telling him he could just take gloves whenever he needed seemed, too easy?

Lakshmi’s nice compliment about his tea managed to draw his mind away from the Free Gloves Dilemma though, and Obie managed to smile a little more. “It’s not all that great, I just… learned how to do all this stuff years ago. Y-Year of practice and all that, you know? Tea is normally just a lot of leaves, but if you pour the water right and watch it settle with a little bit of care, even a novice like me can make it taste alright.” He traced his index finger around the rim of the cup and grinned a little. “But I’m rubbish with hot chocolate.”

"Thank you. It is all I am asking... I may be a bit impatient at times, but this is fine as long as you know I would prefer less formality. And remember it, and remind yourself." She ticked those items off with her fingers, before smiling and drinking more of the delicious tea.

His next words threw her off guard just a bit though and it showed as she stared for a moment...

"Oh... I thought you might have heard... But why would you have? Ahaha, well the assistant is also my lover you see, so I was making a slightly dirty joke. There are bets placed on when he will leave me due to giving him such a miserable job. He seems pleased though with such a position~" Lakshmi was shocked by the lack of understanding on Obie's part for her obviously dirty joke.

However she teased right back as he joked, enjoying the little attempt at a joke with a bright grin now. "Mm, you might be able to pull off my robes and not make it too weird with some accessories. If you were applying for a fanservice position I might allow it. But you are right to get your own for now... A pity."

"As for the gloves... they are instruments required for your job, just fill out minor paperwork and a requisition form and you will get them. Why would I pay for my own scalpels? Why would you pay for your gloves? They are the same thing really. Both items needed for us to complete our work, hence they are covered under certain conditions." Lakshmi made sure he understood it wasn't a gift, but an item that was required. He had to have them to work the gardens of the Division, thus they would be provided to him. It was a simple thing really, but it would help someone like him who might have a tighter budget than someone such as her.

That smile was good though, she wanted more of those and Lakshmi listened and nodded before grinning. "Aha! Now that is something I can make rather well. It takes me...quite a bit of time, but I am told it is to die for! Kai has taken it over at home though or we'd never get any of it. Tea though seems to elude me... Maybe we should form an alliance, I make hot cocoa and you take over tea for me?" Her head tilted just a bit as her eyes crinkled in a happy smile once more.

The ‘calming down’ approach seemed the be working for the past few minutes, as Obie eventually began relaxing more and more in his seat as he and Lakshmi talked over tea. Now (hopefully) separated from any future sudden introductions, Obie was able to be more at ease in his Captain’s company.

And she even had her assistant as her lover; that was nice. “Oooh, my apologies! I um, wasn’t aware that you and Mister Kaimu were that close. But I suppose that having him that close all the time must be nice though, yeah.” Obie nodded slightly before taking another sip of tea. It would definitely make seeing each other a lot easier, for sure. Mmhmm! Obie figured that this Mister Kaimu must be a very nice person, then. Despite their fright-filled first encounter, he had come to realize that Captain Lakshmi Ma’am was really nice indeed! And that was good. And safe. But mostly safe.

“O-Oh, but I um, your robes are nice, but I think I could probably use some longer sleeves on them first and stuff. Besides,” he said with another slight grin “I don’t think I have to worry too much about fanservicey um, stuff. I can’t imagine that many people would want to see any more of this.” He punctuated his sentence by waving his arms around his pale self. “T-They’d um, probably go blind or something.” He lowered his head a little bit and added “’Cos I’m really pale, yeah…” in a softer, slightly embarrassed voice.

What Captain Lakshmi Ma’am had said about the gloves being a part of his job and therefore not a bother to get did make a sort of sense to Obie. He was so used to having to stick it out with what he had for the longest time that the prospect of just… getting new gloves was definitely something new to think about. Not a bad one, though. But just to be safe… Obie decided that it’d be good to at least wait his current gloves out for another few months. Yeah.

“Hot chocolate is pretty good too! I don’t um, usually don’t have to worry about things taking time, though. Gardening and tea ceremonies are known to take a long time anyway, so I’ve got plenty of um, patience for stuff like that.” Obie nodded in agreement and smiled softly. “And I wouldn’t mind making tea at all. It’s a nice little distraction from stuff sometimes, so it wouldn’t be too much of a p-problem at all.”

Lakshmi felt nothing but relief as Obie calmed himself and settled into her company more and more. It was quite relaxing to her as well and the aura of calm and kindness she had been attempting to exude for his sake became a bit more honestly so. At least so far as the calmness and relaxed state was concerned.

Her smile softened just a bit and she had to chuckle at Obie's comments on Kaimu, her hand waving in dismissal of his apologies. "No, it would not be something you would hear. The assistant is my gopher, but it is not a soft or easy job really. I did him no favors forcing him into that position, but yes... It is comforting to have him close. I just did not wish you shocked by that information at a later date, the rumors are making the rounds and are quite true."

She was quickly running out of tea unfortunately, though she sipped the remainder slowly as if to make it last longer. Lifting her arms up, Lakshmi peered at them before laughing more. "Ah! I am sure that would be quite the hazard. A quick flash of light and you would be a veritable weapon really in something fanservicey. That is a something I think I shall add to the defensive plans for this division." Lakshmi lifted one finger to her lips, quirked up in a teasing smile as she continued. "However you are not unattractive so I am pleased it was only in regards to you rather pale tones instead, I lack such worries at least and can thus wear as much fanservicing clothes as I desire. Please feel free to request alterations on your uniform though, if it gets in your way there is no reason for it."

"Then you shall also be my tea maker, Obie, when we both have the time that is. I kind of wish I had more time, but I doubt I would know what to do with myself especially since I will quite quickly have even less." Lakshmi sighed softly as her head leaned on her hand, her fingers tapping her chin as she peered towards Obie. However her icy eyes were looking beyond him at thoughts deep in her head.

"Well um, t-thank you for telling me about Mister Kaimu then!" Obie nodded cheerfully. "I appreciate being told by you directly, rumors can be... problems sometime, yeah..." Like being called a bunny... I'M NOT I'M NOT I'M NOT NOOOOOOOOT!

Obie blushed slightly at Lakshmi's compliments however, and slowly began twiddling his thumbs on the surface of the table again. "W-Well I mean I uh... I'm not all that... Um, thank you." Obie looked down into his tea cup and swirled the liquid around a bit before taking another sip. "But um, maybe we shouldn't plan on me being a good idea for defense, e-even with shining a light on me, hehe... I only really know mid-level defensive kido, so I won't be too much of a help if s-something big comes our way. But... You'll definitely be able to defend us, right Captain Lakshmi?" He asked, looking up at his superior with his hopeful, red eyes.

Oh god what fanservicey things would they even have... Wait, does she mean that the 4th has a supply of fanservicey things or... Huh.

"O-Oh, right! I'd umm, be glad to be your tea-maker, Captain! Just... whenever you want some, I should be able to take some time away from the garden to make a few cups, yeah!" Obie smiled slightly at Lakshmi and nodded as he gripped his tea cup with both of his hands. "But umm... Are you planning on being busy soon, Captain Lakshmi? Do I... need to start making more salves for the Division?" His eyes slowly began widening in preparation for OH GOD MAKE MORE FAST NOW.

"You are most welcome... Rumors really can be, but I guess I have thick skin after all these centuries. My family has quite the juiciest ones." Lakshmi rather liked this young shinigami, continuing to lean her head on her hand as she watched him. He was quite adorable, she wished she could tease him more seriously and see what kinds of fun reactions could be prodded from him after the thumb twiddles.

"Also welcome then, but I was being truthful." Chuckling more, the Captain waved off his attempts to deny her words as she knew what Obie was saying before her expression turned rather serious. She lost her smile for a moment and gave a solemn nod in response to the question. "I promise you Obie either I or Kai will keep you safe. He is a former Division Nine member, powerful in kido as well as swordsmanship. I can definitely hold off most things myself, so do not worry."

His hope wouldn't be misplaced.. Though he went silent for a moment after his questioning and Lakshmi felt much more at ease now, so she questioned it. "...Is something the matter?"

"I would appreciate that. Please take good care of my tea then, if you have requests for kinds or such I am sure I can provide you with those as well." Now this was a fruitful meeting! She had her own personal tea maker for short breaks and it could definitely be written off as well spent work time as she was getting to know her subordinates! He was back to panicking though and thus Lakshmi sat back up as her hand settled against the table. "Haha, nothing of the sort you are thinking of. It... eventually I will be able to explain more but please settle into your duties as best you can before then."

It was a rather badly worded warning but she had yet to tell really anyone about her current state...